


Red Admiral

by IchiBri



Series: The Heart Adventures [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkwardness, Fluff, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Sharing a Bed, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 20:06:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11905254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IchiBri/pseuds/IchiBri
Summary: Shiro and Keith, along with the rest of the team, traverse the unknowns of caring for their hearts while awkwardly ignoring each warm pulse and steady beat that gives away their true feelings.





	Red Admiral

“What do we call them?” Lance tipped his head to the side as he peered down at the hearts on the table.  Hesitantly, he reached his finger to poke Shiro’s heart.  But before he could touch the soft lobe, the other heart jumped at his finger.  He pulled his hand away with a silent gasp of _Rabid!_

“Hearts?” Keith drew out the syllable, an eyebrow arching as he side-eyed Lance.

“Technically, they’re not hearts,” Pidge piped up from across the table.  Hands gripping the edge, her chin rested upon the tabletop as her eyes followed every little movement of the hearts.  “They’re not anatomically correct, and it’s impossible for Shiro and Keith to survive without hearts in their bodies.  And when was the last time you saw hearts with arms and legs?”

“Uh, guys, that’s not what I–”

Too intrigued by the heart chasing off every finger, Pidge ignored Lance.  “And how are they standing?  Their bodies aren’t proportionate to their limbs.  Their legs should be collapsing under the weight.”

Shiro cupped his hand over Keith’s heart before it could snap at Lance’s finger.  Gently, he scooped it into his palms.  “They actually don’t weigh much.”  He extended his hands over the table and offered the heart to Pidge.  “About as much as a newborn kitten.”

With a light in her eyes, Pidge darted to straighten.  Her entire body practically vibrated with her excitement as she held out her palm.  When Shiro opened his hands, the heart tumbled from his grasp.  With a quiet squeak, it landed on its backside on Pidge’s palm.

“Interesting,” she mused as she measured its weight with both hands, raising and lowering them like a set of scales.  With a dangerous glint to her earthy eyes, she said, “I wonder what it’s made of.”

“Yeah, no.  Give it back,” Shiro reclaimed the heart.  “And Hunk, quick petting mine.  It feels… weird.”

“Ah, sorry, my bad.”  Hunk pulled his hand away, lips pouting like a scolded child for a split second before he was reaching for the heart again.  “But it’s so cute!”

“Guys!”

All four paladins turned their attention to Lance.  “What is it?” Shiro asked.

“What do we call them, like as in names?”

“Uh, that one’s Shiro’s heart, and that’s Keith’s,” Hunk pointed them out.  Keith’s heart hopped from Shiro’s hand.  Tucking and rolling in its landing, Hunk clapped his hands together before grabbing Lance’s bicep and shaking the other boy with far too much enthusiasm.  “Oh my god, did you see that?”

“Yeah,” Lance sighed, but even he couldn’t resist the endearing charm of Keith’s heart running to sit beside Shiro’s.  Lost in the tenderness of the tiny hand holding, Lance almost forgot his initial question.  “Wait, wait,” he shook his head as he wildly gestured to the pair of hearts.  “Names, guys.  We can’t just call them Keith’s heart and Shiro’s heart.”

“Why not?  That’s what they are,” Keith said.

“Keith, my man,” Lance stepped closer to Keith to sling an arm over his shoulders.  “It’s a mouthful.  And the only mouthful I want–”

“Lance,” Shiro sternly cut in with a sharp, narrowed stare.

“I’m just saying–”

A snap of Pidge’s fingers had Lance’s words dying on his tongue.  “I’ve got it.  K2 and S2.  You know, kinda like K-2SO, cause we’re in space.”  At the silence, Pidge huffed a sigh.  “Come on guys, it’s funny!”

After a tick, Hunk snorted.  “Oh, _Star Wars_ joke, I get it.”

Shiro looked down at the hearts, at the big eyes flicking around the room.  It was still hard to believe one of them was his.  Keith’s he understood – the fiery, almost reckless devotion was very Keith-like.  But his – so reserved, quiet, and timid – Shiro couldn’t meet its small gaze.  He only hoped the purplish splotches marking its lobes went unnoticed by the others.

“I guess those work,” Keith shrugged.  He knelt down to level his gaze with the hearts and offered out his hand.  Crooking his finger, he softly coaxed Shiro’s heart forward.  His reluctantly followed, if only because Shiro’s wouldn’t let go of its hand.

“S2,” Keith smiled down at it, so much tenderness in his voice that Shiro stuttered a breath.  The little heart reacted with a deep pulse of color, and Keith’s gaze flicked to Shiro.

“Uh, I’m gonna…” Shiro rubbed at his nape as he slowly backed out of the room.  “Gonna go see if Allura and Coran found any info.”

“Oh, me too!”  Pidge darted to catch up to Shiro and fell into step beside him.  “What?  If I can’t dissect them, then I at least want to read up on the Psupherian legends.”

Keith watched them leave, watched the door slowly close behind them, and watched Shiro jolt at the caress of a finger to his heart.  He lightly chuckled to himself.  When his eyelashes fluttered open and he stared down at the hearts, he found a heated gaze glaring back at him.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  Did I forget about you?”  He reached to pet K2, but the heart ducked under his finger.  It squeaked and squawked, mouth forming around angry gibberish, as it stood in front of S2.  “Wha–”

“Dude,” Lance snorted, “your heart doesn’t wanna share Shiro’s.”  He slapped the table in his cackling, each breath of laughter bouncing off the walls of the castle and echoing in the room.  “Who knew you were so thirsty for Shiro?”

Lips pursing, Keith narrowed his eyes.  “I’m no–”

“Everyone knew,” Hunk said so nonchalantly that Keith stumbled back a step in his disconcertion.

“I– That’s not–” Keith stumbled for words, his tongue not cooperating in forming the syllables, before giving up with a huffed groan.

Hunk good-heartedly patted Keith’s back.  “Ah, buddy, it’s okay.  You two stay in denial as long as you want, but remember – fated pairs.”

“Wait, what do you mean everyone knew?  How?  Since when?”

Keith couldn’t hear his own thoughts over Lance’s rambling and the blood pounding through his veins.  His mind buzzed with the drone of static, the fuzziness clouding his senses.  With a sharp turn on his heel, Keith marched for the door.

“Hey, where’re you going?”

Keith muttered out the first place that came to mind, “Training deck.”

 

Keith wasn’t sure why close combat training calmed his heart and cleared his mind.  Maybe because he could forget everything and let natural instinct lead his actions – every duck of a blow, every swing of the blade, every metallic clash.

But maybe to say it calmed his heart wasn’t completely correct in the physical sense.  Metaphorically, he felt weightless, as if every muscle was light as air and moved like a leaf on the breeze.  But his physical heart – little K2 over in the corner of the room – vibrated and pulsed, practically jumping off the wall like a flea.

“End training sequence,” Keith said with a quiet huff.  He put away his bayard before dropping his weight to the floor.  Leaning back on his palms, breaths flowed smoother into his chest.  His head lolled to the side, gaze lidded as his eyes followed the hearts.

K2 tumbled and rolled, running and hopping off the wall in some miniature form of parkour.  Keith sighed a breath of laughter when the heart slipped and landed on its backside.  The faint thump of discomfort it caused in Keith’s chest was nothing compared to the amusement bubbling up his throat at the heart blinking bashfully at its own misstep.

Keith had wondered if this heart was truly his.  He knew Shiro’s from the first moment he laid eyes upon the little heart on the alien planet.  He’d recognize the stormy eyes and stern exterior from across the universe.  The softness and the bruises, he expected them too, maybe not to the extent of the discoloring.  But he wasn’t surprised.  A year had gone by without Shiro, and Keith couldn’t fathom the horrors he endured.

But Keith’s heart – aggressive, broody, and the feistiest little bugger he’s ever seen – was as wild as a pack of wolves.  He wouldn’t have considered it his for a single moment if it hadn’t latched onto Shiro’s heart with a devotion and deep need to protect.

But as his heart extended a hand to Shiro’s and pulled the other to its feet, Keith knew it was his.  He no longer doubted K2 as it coaxed S2 into light sparing.  Surprisingly quick on their feet, they hopped like a pair of sparrows, dancing around each other in circles.  A prodding jab, a quick right hook, the blocking of blows – Keith felt the prickle of every landed strike.

He found himself leaning forward to follow their steps.  At the tumble of lobes as S2 swept K2 off its feet, Keith quietly snickered.  Shiro had used that exact move on him countless times, and it worked in Shiro’s favor two out of three tries.  It was rather reassuring to see his heart fall for the same tactic.

K2 squeaked as it tapped the floor.  At the plea of surrender, S2 eased back.  But the second the pressure lifted, Keith’s heart sprang forward to knock Shiro’s on its backside.

Keith chuckled.  Yes, that was very him and Shiro-like.

“All right, little ones,” Keith pushed himself to his feet.  “Let’s go see what Hunk’s whipped up for supper.”  He squatted down and lowered his hand flat against the floor.  As the hearts scrambled onto his palm, Keith pursed his lips in thought.  “Wait, do you guys eat?  Are you hungry?”

At the pair of blank stares answering him, Keith tipped his head in thought.  “You know, hungry,” he gently poked K2’s velvety skin, just below the heart’s mouth.  But K2 pushed his finger away with a series of squeaks and squawks.  “Hungry~” he dragged out each syllable.  Pointing to his mouth, he mimed spooning food into it and dramatically chewed.

A quiet chirp had Keith blinking in surprise.  S2 jumped in his palm, waving its little arms in the air as it gaped like a begging baby bird.

“So you are hungry,” Keith mused.  “Let’s go find some grub then.”

The training deck’s door opened with a swish, and Keith left behind his earlier frustrations as he crossed its threshold.  As he meandered to the dining hall, he raised his palm and cupped the hearts close to his chest.  He felt the faint beat of their breaths, marveling at how K2’s matched his perfectly.  But it was no wonder; they were one in the same in a technical sense.  Shiro’s, though, softly pulsed to a slower beat – steady, calming.  It had a soothing charm to it, a warmth that Keith felt blossom from the point where S2 rested against the thin fabric of his shirt.

His thoughts momentarily wandered to Shiro.  Was he still researching with Allura and Coran?  Possibly.  Keith doubted he was resting, although S2’s languid beats would lead Keith to believe Shiro was sound asleep, not a nightmare swirling in the clouds of his mind – completely at peace with the world.

On his way to the dining hall, Keith detoured to the Paladin sleeping quarters.  His legs stopped on their own, and his free hand raised to knock at the door.  A quiet rap of his knuckles, and then Keith waited a single breath for the invitation to enter.

“Shiro?” he softly asked, peeking his head into the room first.

Lounging on the bed, back rested against a propped-up pillow and one leg bent at the knee, Shiro’s gaze lifted from the tablet’s glowing interface.  “What is it, Keith?”

“The hearts,” Keith stepped into the room, “or well, your heart, is hungry.  Figured you might be too.”

With a contented sigh, Shiro shut off the tablet – the holographic display disappearing.  He set it on the mattress before swinging his legs to the floor.  “Let’s hope it’s not food goo… again.”

“It always is,” Keith chuckled, light and airy in his amusement.

Shiro slipped back into his boots before following Keith into the hall.  “A guy can dream,” he whined, low and jaded in his voice, breathless in his sigh.

“Of mac ‘n’ cheese, right?”

Shiro groaned, the deep sound rumbling from his chest.  “Don’t remind me.”

A soft tug of fabric drew Keith’s attention, pulling his gaze downward.  The grip of a tiny hand tugged again as the heart chirped – louder than its normally quiet vocalizations.  It mimed the mouthing of a chick waiting for a worm.

“You’re really craving it, huh?” Keith playfully jabbed Shiro’s ribs with his elbow.

Shiro pushed back, lightly bumping his shoulder against Keith’s.  “It’s your fault for bringing it up.”

“…maybe we can put in a request?” Keith slowly said, lips pursing with his uncertainty.  “For the hearts, of course.”

“For the hearts.”  A puff of air escaped Shiro as the corners of his lips quirked upward.  “Definitely not for us.”

With growing grins brightening their dark eyes and lifting some of the fatigue form their shoulders, their steps quickened.  Keith cupped the hearts securely against his chest, silently apologizing for the bumpier ride.  K2 squeaked at each jostle, digging its heels into Keith as it tried to climb up his shirt.  But Keith hushed the heart and tapped it back into his palm each time.

When they reached the dining hall, Shiro wasted no time in striding over to Hunk’s seat.  He placed a firm yet gentle hand upon his fellow Paladin’s shoulder to draw his undivided attention.  “We have a request,” he said.

 

“So, I couldn’t find noodles and cheese, what with being in space and all, but I made do with some ingredients Coran picked up on the last planet.”  Hunk grinned – crooked and beaming with pride – as he set a covered baking dish in the middle of the table.

All pairs of eyes, even the two miniature sets, stared at the dish with an intense curiosity and breath-holding suspicion.  Elbows and palms poised on the tabletop, everyone leaned forward as the suspense built.  Not one to keep them waiting, Hunk pulled the lid off the dish, setting it aside as steam billowed from the questionably-colored cuisine.

Shiro deflated at the thick green sauce – far too similar to food goo for his tastes – which stuck to the plump crescent moons.  For a noodle substitute, he wished the color could’ve been closer to his beloved macaroni of Earth.  Something about the bright green and nearly neon purple had his brain screaming radiation poisoning.

“Uh, Hunk, buddy, do we want to know what this is made of?” Lance asked as he hesitantly poked a noodle with his fork.  The prongs pierced the fleshy moon, and Lance raised it for a sniff.

“Probably not.  But I promise it tastes better than it looks.”

Lance shrugged, “Well, it smells normal.”

Throwing all caution to the wind, Lance brought it to his mouth.  But before he could bite down, a flash of red darted past.  Little K2 jumped and stole the noodle off the fork.

“Hey!” Lance scowled at the retreating heart.  “What a rude little–”

Lance’s words died in his throat when he watched K2 offer the noodle to S2.  And the momentary bursts of laughter from the others quieted to soft coos.

Keith gently smiled at the display, but he soon found his eyes drifting to Shiro.  As his head nibbled on the noodle, Shiro melted into his seat.  His shoulders loosened, the muscles relaxing from his rigid posture, as his chest rose with a deep breath.  The exhale was so contented – so breathy and freeing – that Shiro’s long lashes fluttered shut.

“Looks like S2 approves of my cooking,” Hunk beamed.  He spooned a small portion onto the table in front of the hearts before gently rubbing S2’s right lobe.  “There’s more where this came from, so eat up, little guy.”

K2 joined S2 in munching on the gooey noodles.  They held them in both hands and nibbled like hamsters.  Soft, pulsing reds rippled from their cores as quiet chirps and purrs sounded their delight.

Watching the hearts so thoroughly enjoying the space mac ‘n’ cheese, everyone else deemed it fit to eat and dug in.  Even Shiro looked past his initial apprehension of the radiation colors and piled his plate high.  If the feeling of nostalgia and home that hit him when S2 took its first bite was anything to go by, then Shiro knew he’d relish the taste.

And by all that was breathtaking and mysterious in the universe, Shiro groaned as the first fork full touched his taste buds.  How Hunk managed to replicate the cheesy goodness of the liquid gold that was mac ‘n’ cheese, Shiro would never know.  But to every planetary divinity – to every higher being looking upon the universe from their perch in the sky – Shiro thanked for the taste of home, of Earth, of familiarity.

Everyone had second and even third helpings, grappling for the remains until Hunk promised to serve the space mac on a regular basis.  Sated and full, they sat in various states of euphoria – ranging from food-induced coma to wishing there was one more portion to scarf down.

The pair of hearts leaned against each other back to back as their eyes drooped.  Hands resting against the tabletop, their stubby fingers intertwined.

“Where are the hearts sleeping tonight?” Pidge quietly asked as she poked at the drowsy K2.  But with a full tummy and heavy eyelids, K2 didn’t bother swatting her finger away.

“Oh, oh!  Me!  Pick me!” Hunk vibrated in his seat as his hand shot up to wave in the air like an overeager middle schooler.

“Wait a gosh darn minute,” Lance said.  “You bribed them with food.  That’s not fair.”

“All’s fair in love and war.”

“Cheater!  Trai–”

“Paladins,” Allura firmly said.  Palms flat against the table, she rose to her feet with an air of authority surrounding her.  “Let the hearts choose.  It’ll be the only fair and conclusive decision.”  She smiled then – coy and impish.  “Plus,” she added, brushing a wave of her long white hair over her shoulder, “it’s obvious who they’ll choose.”

It was, Keith thought.  But it wouldn’t be Allura or Hunk or Lance.  Not Coran or Pidge or even himself.

“In the center.”  Lance pointed to the exact spot as Hunk nudged the sleepy hearts across the table.  They reluctantly followed before plopping down on their backsides.

“Okay, little guys,” Lance said with a snap of his fingers to gain what remained of their dwindling attention span.  “Walk to who you want to sleep with.  Simple as that, okay?”  Lance didn’t wait for an answering squeak before stepping back.

A breath of eerie silence passed before the cooing and calling echoed in the room.  Crooking of fingers and light clapping of hands bombarded the hearts with too much stimuli at once.  Each call of their name had their eyes darting from face to face at a dizzying speed.  But in the end, their decisions only took another short moment before both hearts darted to their most trusted person.

Keith blinked down at little S2, trembling as it grabbed Keith’s shirt and pressed its lobe into Keith’s abdomen.  “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart.  I got you,” he quietly murmured.  Cupping his hand beneath Shiro’s heart, Keith scooped it into his palm and held it close against his chest – right over where his heart would be.

Except his heart chose Shiro.  His eyes trailed upwards, past K2 scrambling up Shiro’s prosthetic arm, to the light flush of Shiro’s cheeks.  Lips slightly parted, Shiro stared with wonder and awe – a softness to his eyes that brought heat rising upon Keith’s skin.

Oh, Keith thought.  He’d said _sweetheart_ out loud.  In front of everybody.  In front of Shiro.

With his free hand, Keith scratched at his cheek as his eyes averted to the wall.  “Uh, I guess it’s decided then.”

“Figures,” Lance huffed.  “Not like I wanted to babysit anyway.”  He sulked, stuffing his hands in his pockets before stalking out of the room.

Hunk wiped a crocodile tear from his eye.  “This hurts, little guys.  Hurts me deep.”  He tapped his own heart before following after Lance.

Pidge left with a shrug.  Unlike Lance, she truly didn’t want to babysit and probably would’ve given them back had they chosen her.  Allura, a little more heartbroken than she’d admit, rubbed the hearts goodnight before retiring to her chambers, no doubt looking forward to nightly gossip with the mice.

Coran, though, being ever helpful as usual, casually said, “I took it upon myself to prepare beds for the hearts while researching the Psupherian legends.  They’re in the study.”

Both Keith and Shiro offered words of gratitude before Coran strolled out.  They turned to each other then.

“So, I guess we should put them to bed,” Shiro said, his eyes glancing down at his shoulder where K2 snuggled close to his neck.

Keith could only nod, too afraid of another slip of his tongue should he speak.  He quietly walked beside Shiro as they headed for the study.  But both of them were acutely aware of the other’s heartbeat – of the pulsing warmth and the softness of the love which blossomed and spread, vines growing and entwining them to each other like a needle and thread.

In the study, they found the DIY beds upon the desk among the ancient alien literature written in scripts neither of them comprehended.  In the form of a small glass jar and a rectangular box, the beds reminded Keith of something pet rocks would be tucked into for the night.  But in a way, they seemed perfect for the hearts – small and cozy, giving off a sense of childlike wonder and innocence.  The fluffy stuffing filling both – much like the cotton of Earth – was softer than wool beneath Keith’s touch.

Gently, Keith lowered S2 to the box.  The heart blearily blinked, staring for a short moment, before crawling beneath the baby blue swatch of fabric.  It nestled into the stuffing, and Keith tucked the blanket around it.

“You’re spoiling him,” Keith quietly said, but Keith knew what he really meant.

_You’re spoiling me._

“As if you’re not doing the same.”  Keith raised an eyebrow at the delicate draping of an iris-colored blanket around his own heart.

Fingers stuffed in the jar, Shiro paused in the meticulous tucking of the blanket.  “Touché,” he said, tenderly smiling at K2’s wide yawn.

They carried the jar and box to the Paladin sleeping quarters.  Their rooms adjacent, they reached Keith’s first and stopped outside the door.  They stood for a long moment, neither wanting to leave the other.

But then Keith smiled.  He reached a finger into the box and gently stroked across the heart’s brow, following the dip of its outline.  Out of the corner of his eye, Keith watched the shiver course through Shiro’s body – racing down his spine like a jolt of electricity.

“Goodnight,” Keith said.  “Take care of K2.”

“Uh, yeah.  You too,” Shiro stumbled with his words.  Too caught up in Keith’s genial smile and the lingering tingle upon his skin, Shiro missed his chance to offer his own _goodnight_ sentiment.

He stood outside Keith’s door long enough to heave a slow, tired sigh.  Combing a hand through his white tuft of hair, he brushed it back as he turned for his room.  When the door opened and he stepped through, his gaze lowered to the jar in his hand.

K2 stared up at him with big, bright eyes.  The storm clouds darkening its irises gave way with each drowsy blink.

Shiro nestled the jar into the fluff of his pillow as he sat on the mattress.  Back arching, he bent low to press his lips to the glass.  “Goodnight, love,” he said with a breathy sigh – contented, as if a large weight lifted from his chest.

As he laid his head down to rest, Shiro’s hand settled beside the tilted jar.  His pointer finger reached into the opening and rested upon the rim.  Close enough to feel the heart’s warmth, Shiro didn’t reach any farther.

The swatch blanket bunched beneath Shiro’s finger.  Thinking it was K2’s silent protest, he drew his finger back.  But K2 grabbed on, and Shiro’s eyes blinked open at the strength with which K2 pulled him back in.  Like an infant, it held Shiro’s finger and snuggled into his touch.

Tenderly, Shiro smiled through the darkness.  “Goodnight, baby,” he whispered before letting his eyes flutter shut.

 

Shiro’s nose wrinkled as something light and feathery ran across it.  Or maybe it was a stray hair stuck to the duvet, he didn’t know.  And at a godawful hour of night, he didn’t quite care.  With a turn of his head, he willed unconsciousness to return to him.

But a sharp, piercing pain at the tip of his nose had Shiro jolting upright and his eyes ripping open.  Something tumbled down his chest and into his lap.  Blearily, he blinked through the crust of sleep in his eyes as he rubbed at his nose, fingers dipping into the groove of his scar.

“What the–” He stared down at K2.  The heart pulsed a vibrant, angry red as it waved its arm.  Squeaking up a storm, tiny fists pounded against Shiro’s thigh.

“Woah, easy there.  What’s wrong?”  Shiro slowly reached out to the heart, his hand steady but poised to retreat should K2 bite at him.

K2 grabbed Shiro’s picky finger and pulled.  With all its might, the heart heaved, digging its feet into the blanket for extra traction.  But its footing slipped and slid.  The heart fell to a knee, yet its determination didn’t dwindle.

“Okay, okay,” Shiro swooped the heart into his galra hand.  Swinging his legs out of bed, Shiro pushed himself to stand.  “Where do you want to go?”

K2 yanked Shiro’s finger forward.  Shiro walked in the pointed direction.  Eyes burning with the need for sleep, he squeezed them shut as he waited for the door to slide open.

When his eyes wearily blinked open – vision still blurry at the edges – Shiro paused in his next step.  He looked upon Keith in an oversized t-shirt and red lion slippers.  Brow furrowed and eyes distraught, Keith cupped a bleating heart in his palms.

“Keith,” Shiro breathed the name, his own exhaustion seeping into his voice.  “You too?”

Keith nodded.  A low, weary whimper worked its way up his throat.  “He wants K2.”

Shiro extended his hand closer to Keith’s, letting K2 hop over to join the other heart.  “So, do you want them or should I–”

K2 held tightly to Shiro’s finger.  Shiro blinked down at the heart, but it refused to release him.  “Uh, I guess I should take them.”

Keith mumbled an affirmation before passing the hearts over.  But S2 wouldn’t budge.  It held onto Keith’s thumb with one arm and held K2’s hand with the other.

Shiro groaned, the sound a deep rumble in his chest.  He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, before stepping to the side. “You want to come in?”

“Huh?”

“A sleepover for the night?  We can figure the rest out in the morning.”

Keith blinked, suddenly far more awake than he’d like to be.  “Oh, uh… sure.”  He stepped into Shiro’s room, careful of K2’s precarious perch at the edge of his fingertips.

The door closed behind them, and it was suddenly far too dark and quiet.  The blood pounding through his veins echoed in Keith’s ears.  Shuffling across the floor, Keith stumbled over his own feet.  A gasp slipped past his lips.

But a steady hand caught his arm and righted him.  Shiro guided him to the bed.  “I’ve only got one pillow,” Shiro said.  He sat down and scooched to the far side of the mattress.

“We can share.”  Keith set the hearts down on the pillow before tentatively crawling beneath the blanket.  He settled back, letting his head rest at the pillow’s edge.

Humming, Shiro rolled onto his side.  The pulse of the hearts dimly glowed a rosy red in the darkness.  The color fell upon Keith’s profile, illuminating every stray strand of hair.  Each blink of his eyes resembled the flutter a red admiral’s delicate wings.

Shiro repressed a yawn.  His eyelids growing heavy, he inhaled deeply and released the breath with a steady stream.  “Hey, Keith?”

Keith tipped his head.  The glow reflected in his eyes like glimmering bulbs on a Christmas tree.  “Yeah?”

“Goodnight,” Shiro whispered, the word a mere murmur on his tongue.  His eyes drooped shut, but not before seeing the red glow stain the fond smile of Keith’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me just shamelessly link some adorable sleepy hearts I made for this au [here](https://twitter.com/ichibri/status/888502075780235264)
> 
> And you can find me @ichibri on tumblr & twitter


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